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Meg Stein and her husband, Josh Sutton, in front of their redecorated house, which was featured in the inaugural issue of HGRV Magazine.

Josh Sutton in his "man cave."

Meg Stein's redecorated kitchen.

The midtown residence of Josh Sutton and Meg Stein is getting some national attention.

The house is featured in the inaugural issue of HGTV Magazine, which is produced by Hearst Magazines. The couple bought the house in 2010 as newlyweds while Sutton, an Army sergeant, was deployed to Afghanistan.

Stein, a graphic designer, surprised her husband by completely redecorating before his return home. “During the redecorating process, she kept Josh in the dark as to her progress to heighten the surprise,” says Lacey Drucker, associate manager of public relations for Hearst Magazines.

“When Josh returned from Afghanistan and saw his new home, he said, ‘Even though it was a bunch of new stuff that I was unfamiliar with, it immediately felt like home.’”

When the lease came up on their rental, Stein began house hunting. When she found the 1935 cottage, she knew it was “the one.”

“I loved the overall layout,” Stein says. “It felt really open. More than anything, I fell in love with the natural light. The sunshine is wonderful.”

She and Sutton began a series of emails and Skype chats that led to his giving her power of attorney so she could close on the house.

“The first thing I did after I was given the keys was to paint all the walls, which were pale yellow,” Stein says. “Everything got some shade of gray.”

With Sutton’s return still three months away, Stein decided to redecorate and do “a big reveal” on his return. “I filled the house room by room with vintage finds and things from Craigslist,” she says. “I didn’t spend a lot of money.”

Neither Stein nor Sutton is originally from Savannah, but now consider it to be home.

“I am originally from Houston and came to Savannah for school and then just never left after meeting and marrying Josh,” Stein says. “Josh is originally from Pittsburgh and was stationed here in May of 2008.”

While redecorating, Stein kept her husband in mind at all times.

“I created a man cave for him,” she says. “Being born and raised in Pittsburgh, he’s a diehard Steelers fan.

“He wanted a room that was his space to relax at the end of the day,” Stein says. “I gathered vintage sports memorabilia and created a space all his own.”

The rest of the house was transformed, too.

“We renovated the kitchen, which was probably the biggest project,” Stein says. “There are new appliances and new cabinets.”

The project was completed in an amazingly short time.

“I had been in the house for three months when he came home,” Stein says. “He really had no words, which was kind of odd for him. He was walking around and taking it all in in a daze. It was shock and awe.”

But there’s no doubt Sutton loves his home. “I took pieces of his personality and put them into the house,” Stein says.

Stein’s personality is reflected in the house, too. “Bringing in vintage was important to me,” she says. “Josh likes things that are new and modern and clean, while I like rusted metal. I was finding a way to marry those two styles.”

But by no means is the house finished. “I’m one of those people who thinks it’s never done,” Stein says. “It is a work in progress, even now.

“We bought the house in 2010,” she says. “It probably took at least a year until it felt it was in a good place. It’s constantly evolving.”

Having the house chosen to be presented in the inaugural issue of HGTV Magazine was a real surprise. The magazine, which costs $3.99 an issue, is a home lifestyle publication developed from the HGTV cable network and available on newsstands and for download on Zinio, Nook, Kindle and Apple Newsstand.

“My best friend is a photographic stylist who works with several publications,” Stein says. “I’ve joked about submitting the house to a publication. She always told me when I had ‘big girl curtains,’ she would submit it.”

Within a week of the submission, the house was chosen to be profiled.

“It was definitely a shock,” Stein says. “Some people have opened the magazine and not even known it was in there until they saw it.”

The response has been positive. “I’ve had lots of people tell me they want me to come decorate their houses,” Stein says. “I would have a hard time doing this for other people.

“But I do enjoy redecorating. I’m constantly rearranging the furniture.

“Everyone who has seen the article thinks the house is really beautiful,” Stein says. “It’s been a very enjoyable experience.”